Monado Reforged
by thesuperMrE1
Summary: The Mechon, a threat long thought demolished, attack Camp Half-Blood. When two descendants of the heroes of Bionis appear, Annabeth joins in tow to find the legendary Monado, the blade of Bionis. But who's the heir to the Monado? *I own only the OC's, nothing else. All copyright and trademarking legalities belong to Rick Riordan (PJO) and Monolith Studios (Xenoblade).*
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A Threat is Built**

It was a peaceful day at Camp Half-Blood. It had been ten months since Gaea's attempt at destroying the world, and life was as normal as it could be for the demigods. The campers were enjoying their activities, dueling one another for practice, perfecting their archery, or just relaxing.

Percy was sparring with Jason to keep in practice. Their swords clanged as the duel progressed. Jason feinted a slash, step forward, and shoved Percy to the ground.

"Looks like I win this one," Jason mused. He helped Percy onto his feet.

"Lucky break," Percy smirked. He capped his sword, Riptide, and slipped it in his pocket. "Let's go check on the girls. No doubt their bored of archery." The two left the arena and headed for the archery range as the mess hall exploded.

Percy uncapped Riptide and rushed to see the damage. Approaching the ruins of the former dining pavillion, a machine rose from the rubble. A black and golden finish with beady red eye-like lights. It had a pointed cone where a face would be, and a mace type weapon for an arm.

"What in Hades is that?" Percy stammered. He'd never fought anything so mechanical. The machine attacked, forcing Percy to roll out of the way. He slashed at the enemy, his blade bouncing off it.

"Percy, get out of there," Jason cried out as another machine dropped in behind him, this one with a three pronged claw. Jason, having noticed Percy's ineffectiveness with his sword, called for a lightning strike, overloading the innerworkings and shut down the robot. More like it came into view. "I can't do that for all of them."

Campers took up arms, despite the ineffectiveness of their weapons. Jason used his lightning sparingly, though this didn't help even out the fight. His energy was being sapped more and more as he mega shocked the robots. He prayed to his dad for a miracle.

The machines tossed campers aside with no mercy, only to make way to new victims. Jason started to lose hope when one of the machines was destroyed. In it's place was a blonde kid with green eyes. In his hand was a sword colored just like the machines.

"Who are you?" Jason asked. "And how did you do that?" The kid was about to answer when he was interrupted by another killer bot. He dodged and sliced up the metallic body, making two halves of a robot.

"Tell you later. Let's not lose our heads now." The kid went to cutting down more of the metallic onslaught as Jason watched in awe. He noticed there was a bulkier kid also destroying the machines as well. Within minutes, the field was littered with limp bodies and robot parts. The fallen demigods were gathered, and Jason went over to the two heroes.

"So who are you two?" Jason asked. His girlfriend Piper came to his side, with Percy limping over, his girlfriend Annabeth helping him walk.

"Well, I'm Sheldon," the blonde kid said, "And this is Ron."

"How did you guys manage to take them out now problem?" Percy asked. "Our weapons did nothing to them."

"Our Machina weapons are made just so we can get the drop on them," Ron boasted, sporting a tame British accent. "Honestly, if we hadn't shown up, this whole valley would be wrecked."

"Machina?" Annabeth repeated. "So that's what these robots are called."

"Actually," Sheldon intervened, "those are Mechon. They have no conscience. They just kill."

"So wait," Percy added, "is there any way we can deal with these things?"

Sheldon looked at the wreckage. "There's a lot of Mechon here. You could make some Anti-Mechon weapons out of all this."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Some blades would really help you here."

"Alrighty, lets get Hephaestus cabin on making the new weapons. Jason, Piper, take Percy to the Big House to get treated. I have some questions to ask these two."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Monado**

Annabeth took Sheldon and Ron straight to her cabin, number six, Athena. Inside, she opened up one of the many laptops and typed furiously, searching for anything on Mechon. She found pictures of Mechon shaped entirely different than what attacked the camp.

"What ever you know about the Mechon, please tell me," Annabeth muttered, focused on her research.

"Well, the Mechon have only one drive, destroy any organic life," Sheldon started. "They don't have any resistance to ether attacks-"

"Ether?" Annabeth interrupted, "I've never heard of that."

"Ether is the basis for all life," Sheldon explained. "It like a particle that makes up everything biological creature."

"I thought that was atoms."

"Atoms are made of ether. Like I said, ether is the bare essence of life."

"Huh." She looked at Ron. "Why are you so quiet?"

"I'm not so good at the smarts," he replied. "But I've saved this guy's skin more times than I can count." Sheldon rubbed the back of his neck, agreeing.

"Alrighty," Annabeth continued. "So ether. Anything else?"

"The Monado," both boys replied. Annabeth gave them a puzzled look.

"The Monado is a legendary blade," Ron explained.

"It gives the wielder foresight, can easily cut down Mechon, enchant regular weapons to do the same, and so much more," Sheldon detailed.

"Wow. Sounds incredible," Annabeth mused.

"One catch though. All that can only be accomplished through the heir to the Monado. Anyone else risk a loss of control and some permanent effects."

"Oh. Say, how do you two know so much about this?"

"Well, we're descendants of heroes that actually defeated the Mechon ages ago," Sheldon replied. "My ancestor is Shulk, who wielded the Monado."

"And my ancestor is Reyn," Ron added. "He was best friends with Shulk." He laughed. "Our families say the resemblance between us two is rather uncanny to Shulk and Reyn." At that moment, Chiron, in his centaur form, came into the cabin.

"So these are the heroes that saved the camp," he proclaimed. "I thank you on behalf of the whole camp." He bowed before continuing. "Now, if I may ask, what is your story?"

"We've been chasing down the Mechon for some time now," Ron told the centaur teacher. "And no matter how many we cut down, more come the next day." Chiron scratched his beard in thought.

"Is there a way to defeat these machines?"

"The Monado will be the key," Sheldon replied. "If we could find it, the Mechon wouldn't be a problem."

"I see." He turned to leave. "Annabeth, I'd suggest you work with these two to formulate a defense mechanism."

The next few days brought more Mechon attacks, a crude electrical dome, and many high strung campers. On the bright side, the Hephaestus Cabin made a small supply of anti-Mechon weaponry, primarily swords and arrows. Annabeth learned all she could from Sheldon and Ron about the Mechon.

"There was one more thing about Mechon," Sheldon chided himself. "What in blazes was it?"

"Ey, if you can't remember it," Ron optimised, "it probably wasn't important." Annabeth frowned. She hated forgetting details.

"Where do you think the Monado is?" She asked. "I mean, we do need that, don't we?" Ron shrugged his shoulder. Sheldon went into thought.

"I'm sure it'll show itself soon," Sheldon decided. "But we will need it to defeat the Mechon." He got up to leave the cabin.

"Where ya goin'?" Ron asked.

"Just on a walk." He exited the cabin to walk in the woods. His mind calmed as he took in the nature, the luscious green flora. It was serene, peaceful, and there was thumping to his left.

He drew his sword to find a Mechon approaching him. Sheldon took a step back as he got a better look. It was colored like the rest of the Mechon, except the gold was replaced with gray. This one was humanoid, having a face with a scar over the eye.

"Hello there," it said with a metallic voice. "How's camp?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: In the Face of the Light**

Sheldon instantly went on the offence, the faced Mechon not bothering to defend. The anti-Mechon weapon bounced off the metallic plating, a surge of panic hitting Sheldon.

"What?! How-" The new threat laughed a scratchy laugh.

"Oh how I love the way you think," the machine taunted. "You think your 'anti-Mechon' weapon is gonna scratch me. You can't do anything! Good luck finding your little 'Monado.'" It backhanded Sheldon into a tree with a cruel laugh before taking off. Sheldon's vision went black as he lost consciousness.

He saw his ancestor, Shulk, wielding the Monado against a faced Mechon, brutally cutting off its arm. Its beam blade was at least ten feet long, the legendary blade itself five feet. Yet Shulk handled it with high proficiency.

The scene shifted to a smoking volcano surrounded by forest. The earth rumbled as the volcano erupted, releasing magma and ash. He didn't know if his eyes were messing with him, as he thought he saw a faint blue light emitted from the lava plume. He went to take a step forward, but was swept off his feet as he was pulled from the dream.

"Sheldon, wake up man," He heard Ron shout. "Ey, wake up."

"Ron, shouting isn't helping," a new voice rang. "Just calm down." Sheldon's vision cleared, letting him see his surroundings. Chiron, Annabeth, Ron, and a new face surrounded him. The new one was holding a glass of apple juice. "Do we dare try it?"

"He hasn't been claimed," Chiron said calmly. "I doubt these two are demigods."

"Demigods?" Sheldon got out.

"Ey, you're awake," Ron happily cheered. "We were getting worried about you. You got a nasty bump on yer head." Realization hit Sheldon.

"The faced Mechon!" he shouted. "My sword, it bounced right of off it." Faces of worry formed on everyone's face.

"If you're serious," Annabeth mumbled, "then we're all in trouble." She turned to Chiron. "The Monado is even more important now. Has Rachel seen anything yet?"

"No Annabeth," Chiron said solemnly. "I suspect the Monado works under a different influence. Sheldon and Ron will have to go on a quest to find the blade."

"But without the heir to the Monado," Sheldon argued, "we can't use its full power. And risking someone to use it, it could have a damaging effect."

"So wait, it's a gamble for who can wield it?" Annabeth accused.

"More so fate and destiny than a gamble," Sheldon explained. "I mean someone else with a strong will could use it, but not at its full potential."

"So we need to find the heir to the Monado, find the Monado, and return to camp, defeating the Mechon as we go?" The new guy asked.

"Pretty much," Ron replied. At that moment a choppy haired girl came rushing in.

"Chiron! Chiron! It's Rachel!" The centaur galloped through the front door, the other demigod running behind.

"What's with the rukus?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Sheldon replied, standing up. "But we might want to go see." They left the building to find a crowd gathered in a circle. From the porch they could see a red-headed girl with purple smoke surrounding her. An elderly male voice came from her.

"_Heir to the Monado, son of Victory, heed my words._

_Seek out the blade of the Bionis, hidden in the depths of the red mountain._

_The blade will bend to your will, but only should you have it._

_Stay strong in the presence of the faced Mechon, for the daughter of Athena shall crumble._

_And keep true to your allies."_ The smoke shifted and swirled around a younger kid, with lighter hair and hazel eyes. He seemed to have a lighter build. The smoke dissipated with everyone looking at him wide eyed.

"Emmet," Chiron said, his voice steely. "The quest is yours, lad. Do you accept?" All attention turned to Emmet as he took a deep breath.

"I accept," he declared.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Quest Begins**

After the ring of campers dispersed, Emmet went back to his cabin, Cabin Seventeen. It looked average enough, a golden laurel crown hung over the door. Inside, the walls were lined with laurel crowns and gold medals. The only books around the cabin were Guinness World Record books. He swore, his siblings had an unhealthy obsession with competition.

As he reached into his bedside dresser, he heard the door open, expecting it to be his siblings. He grabbed his weapons rod, slipping it into his pack before turning around to find Sheldon.

"Oh, hey," he said, confused. "What brings you here?"

"It's about what the voice said," Sheldon replied. "Well, everyone looked… confused about it. Is that usual?"

"It's supposed to be green, first of all. Second, it's a woman's voice, not a man's. Finally, it's a bunch of rhyming nonsense that confuses everyone."

"I see." Sheldon seemed to go into deep thinking. "I wonder what that voice was." There was a long silence. "Listen, the reason I came here was to ask if you'd want me and Ron to accompany you. I mean, aside from Annabeth now, we're the ones who know the most about the Mechon."

"Well when you put it like that, I don't have much of a choice. Yeah, just meet me up on the hill tomorrow morning."

"Perfect. See ya then."

That night, Emmet saw a flat expanse of sea, far as the eye could see. Two colossal beings, one silver, the other black, emerged from under the surface, almost in sped up time. The two began fighting, swinging swords as long as their arms. Emmet watched in awe as the two titans were locked in combat, the silver one cutting off the arm of the black being. After some time, the black titan's sword cut into the silver one's side as the silver one chopped into the back of the other's neck. They didn't move afterwards, clouds cloaking the two beings.

He woke up the next morning in a cold sweat. His dream seemed too surreal to mean anything. But at the same time, he felt a connection to the colossal beings. It was like a faint connection, almost like a past life. His thoughts were interrupted by Annabeth's voice at the cabin door.

"Hey Emmet," she called, "we're waiting on you."

"Oh, right." He remembered about the quest. "Gimme five minutes." Annabeth left and Emmet got ready, scooping up his pack, and rushing after the daughter of Athena.

"You're late," Ron complained as the two came up Half-Blood Hill. "We've been waiting for twenty minutes."

"Oh lay off him Ron," Sheldon retorted. "You'd still be asleep if I hadn't woken you up." Ron went to defend himself, but was stopped by Annabeth.

"Enough, boys," she said, smiling. "Point is, we're all here. Now, where do we go? The voice that spoke said 'the red mountain.' I can think of two places to go, and one of those is in England."

"What if the red mountain was actually a volcano?" Sheldon asked. "Yesterday, when I was knocked unconscious, I saw a volcano, erupted, surrounded by forest. Does that sound familiar at all?" Annabeth looked as if realization hit her.

"Mount St. Helens," she answered. "That's the only place that makes sense. One of Hephaestus's forges was there before Percy blew it up."

"Well lets get goin'," Ron encouraged. "Less time we're here, the more time we have getting there." Everyone nodded in agreement as Argus, the camp security guard, came with one of the vans. They rode into New York, Annabeth thinking out plans for everyone to hear. Emmet stared blankly out the window. At one point, he thought he saw a flying Mechon, but said nothing as no one spoke up.

Argus dropped them off at Grand Central Station, speeding back to the camp. Emmet used his supply of mortal money to get them tickets for tickets to Cleveland, the farthest they could get on a New York train. The four boarded their train, settling in for the next few days. Emmet went right to sleep.

In his dream, he saw a red sword, hovering from its point. It gave off a blue glow, almost in a mesmerizing way. Emmet turned to see a group of people in heavy winter clothes approach the blade, a little blond kid in the mix. The sword released a blue pulse, making everything go dark.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Mechanical Breakthrough**

Scar Face was overlooking the production of the lesser Mechon, examining the models. They all had the same mind set, destroy the target. But he wasn't built for that. He knew he was after the Monado, to seize and control it. It all felt familiar to him. _But from where?_

"There you are," a metallic voice rang from behind him. Scar Face turned to see his colleague, Metal Face, at the door. The faced Mechon's skeletal frame waltzed in, his claws shining in the light. "I've been looking for you."

"What do you want, Metal Face?" He replied. "You're supposed to be getting me my sword."

"I've got it right here." Metal Face turned to the door. "Bring 'er in!" A group of M63's carried in a blade from their mace-like appendages. The sword itself was at least seven feet long, one edge completely serrated. He knew it was made of mortal steel and the celestial bronze demigods use.

"Perfect." He picked up his new blade, feeling the balance. It was a perfect fit, feeling so natural. "Ah. Such craftsmanship."

"Will you be naming it?" Metal Face sneered. His claws rapped on the tops of the M63's. "You did mention a name. What was it, now? Backbiter?"

"Backbiter…" It sounded like it meant something special. He couldn't remember why. "Backbiter it is."

"Say, why don't we test it out? Word has it there's a group of kids looking for the Monado. They're en route to Cleveland."

"Let's get a move on." The two took to the skies through the open ceiling, shifting into their respective flight modes. The jet propulsion on Scar Face's back launched him, taking him to the city. From the clouds, he could see Cleveland on the horizon, rapidly getting closer.

He morphed into his standard form, hovering in air, looking for the group. The industrial city clustered many of the roads, leaving visible search a difficult task. Diving down closer, he began making out the streets and people. Then he found his prey. Not wanting to wait for Metal Face, he went in, his sword at his side. He dropped down in front of the group, with a cold laughter. "Fancy meeting you four."

***Currently on hiatus until my editor looks at the other chapters. Expect a flood of chapters when that happens.***


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Now It's Ron Time!**

Ron watched as Cleveland encompassed their train. His nerves were starting to get to him. They had been riding the train for three days, and nothing odd had happened. When the train finally stopped, he rushed right off, his impatience getting to him.

"Ron," Sheldon cried out. "Hold up just a moment." The others finally got off as the train was departing. Travel did not suit them. Annabeth had bags under her eyes, Emmet's hair was sticking up in the back, and Sheldon walked as if his legs were asleep.

"C'mon you guys. Lets get to an airport or something." Ron figured a plane would be better than anything on land. They all left the terminal, with a vague direction to the airport. Annabeth let out a loud whistle to call for a taxi. Crashing in front of them was a large Mechon. Ron noticed instantly the face on it.

"Oi, Sheldon," Ron called, drawing his shieldlance. "Was this the faced Mechon you were talking about?"

"Uh huh," he replied, his voice quivering in fear. "He didn't have the sword though."

"You like my new toy?" the Mechon taunted. "It's made from the bronze demigods use, and mortal steel. I like to call it Backbiter." Annabeth and Emmet gasped, making the Mechon laugh. "Don't like that now, do ya?" He swung, causing the demigods to fall backwards, and Sheldon to deflect the attack.

Ron charged right in, his nerves guiding his energy. He bashed the shield end of his weapon into the Mechons leg, and jabbed at the calf of the other. The Mechon gave him a backward kick, giving Ron the opportunity to bash into the other leg, knocking over the faced Mechon.

The mighty Mechon toppled over, its sword skittering to the wayside. The others went in, appearing to be doing some damage. Small knicks became evident in the plating. Ron had a good feeling about the fight. "Yeah, Ron time!" he shouted as he plunged the blade of his weapon into the Mechon's face.

"That's enough!" the faced Mechon shouted. He swiped at the four heroes and propelled himself upward, landing with a thud. "I've had enough of you." He backhanded the group away before scooping up his sword and flying off.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Facing a Fact**

After securing train tickets to St. Louis, Annabeth immediately got to thinking about the day's events. The Mechon that attacked them had a face, and spoke. And its sword, Backbiter, it reminded her about Luke when he was controlled by Kronos. But it had to be a coincidence. Luke sacrificed himself to defeat the Titan. He'd gone to the Underworld, and presumably tried for rebirth.

"Annabeth," Emmet said, shaking her out of her thoughts. "You're thinking about the faced Mechon too?" She nodded. "Thought so. It's kinda scary actually, the scar on its face, and its sword." He turned to Sheldon. "What do you know about the Mechon with faces?"

"Well, our anti-Mechon weapons can't hurt them much," he said quietly. "That's all I really know, I mean, faced Mechon are kinda rare. The scar faced one threw me off guard back at camp." Everyone went silent for a moment.

"Well, let's look at it this way," Ron started, sounding upbeat. "We're leaving Cleveland, which is what, a fifth of the way across the country? Sure it's taken a few days, but it could be worse. We could be walking the whole way."

"Anyways, we should get some rest," Sheldon suggested as he yawned. "We're gonna be here a while." He turned to his side and closed his eyes, as did Ron. Annabeth decide it would be best if she slept too. Within minutes, she slipped into slumber.

Dreaming was nothing new for demigods, but this particular dream was a first. She was standing on a rock formation, floating above a luminescent sea. The starry sky above was partially covered, by both clouds and explosions. Lasers and Mechon shot across the night sky, the occasional Mechon getting shot down.

Lowering her gaze, she saw five people and a small round creature fighting off faced Mechon, a silver one attempting to dilute the conflict. To her right, a giant, purple skinned figure was on its knees, a huge spear lodged in its chest. At the base of the creature, a boy who looked very familiar to Seldon was prone on his back.

Electricity cracked as bolts of lightning shot at skeletal faced Mechon, short-circuiting the machine. A young girl rushed to an elderly man, the two embracing one another. Annabeth noticed wings on the head of those two, before watching the light returned to the electrocuted Mechon.

"You're gonna pay for that, you bag of bones!" The faced Mechon's scratchy voice rang as it readied its claws. The elderly man shoved the girl down, before being impaled. The boy by the purple giant, helping himself up, and the girl cried out in horror. "Looks like he had his wings clipped," the clawed Mechon taunted as it pulled its claws out of the mans body, letting him fall. "Did you really expect to defeat me?"

Back to her right, the purple giant disappeared into light dust, swirling around the boy. Annabeth noticed his blade, realizing it to be the Monado, just as Sheldon described it, red with blue etchings, a hole right where the cross guard would be. The Monado glowed a brilliant blue light and transformed, growing longer and wider, earning a sleek new design.

The boy with the Monado charged in, a blade of light lengthening, as he sliced at the cynical Mechon, chopping off its arm. The Mechon fell over as the boy went to swing again. The silver Mechon flew in between the two, taking the hit. Annabeth peered closer to see a person sitting inside the faced Mechon. She gasped as the two Mechon took off into the sky, smoke blowing from their injuries. The group of people left charged after the two, as Annabeth felt herself get pulled away, last hearing them shouting a name.

She woke up in a cold sweat. It was nighttime, and currently Emmet was sleeping. Ron and Sheldon were nowhere to be seen. Looking around, she didn't see any sign of struggle, no seats ripped up or destroyed. She was ready to go look for the two of them when they walked in from one of the other cars.

"We went to the dining car," Ron explained when Annabeth shot them a look. "Honestly, they have really good food, despite the fact we're on a train." He tossed a scone at Annabeth before stuffing his face with another pastry. Annabeth tried the scone, warm and flaky goodness exciting her tastebuds.

"So how was your sleep?" Sheldon asked, munching on a plain muffin.

"Well," Annabeth drawled before retelling her dream. As she talked, the two boys seemed to have their own silent conversation. "But my question is, why does the Monado need to change form? Why do people pilot the faced Mechon?" There was a silence before the whole car jerked sideways.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The Fallen Trinity**

"Metal Face," a voice rang through the intercom system, "report in." He looked down at the Mechon being produced. The last time he was in his current form, he was told what to do however he wanted. Nothing more.

"Let's see what the brats want," his scratchy voice mumbled. He sulked over to the master control room, the last place he'd want to go. The door slide open, and he walked in. Along the walls, maps, weapons, various tools, and a wide screen television. Standing behind a lone table were three people, his masters.

"Get out of your Face unit," the figure on the left said. "It's not needed here, _Mumkhar._" Mumkhar groaned, but obeyed. He opened the chest of his faced Mecon and jumped out. Down on ground level, he glared at his masters.

To his left, a darker skinned girl with raven colored hair pulled back in a bandana. She wore a black shirt with the sleeves ripped off. On his right, a smaller boy wearing a navy blue jumpsuit and hood. His gloved fingers were rapping the table. Between the two, a dark haired boy with piercing grey eyes, wearing a leather jerkin. He was clearly the oldest of the three.

"What is it you want?" Mumkhar challenged. "I've got a group of kids to torture."

"That's exactly why we've called for you," the middle one retorted. "Twice we've told you to attack, and instead you've sent Scar Face to do it."

"Come on, where's the fun if they don't even have the Monado? It ain't even worth it."

"You are forgetting your place," the small child said, climbing on to the table. "We were kind enough to revive you, your Mechon, even keep your memories. That can all be taken away. Just one high powered shot-"

"Ok, ok. You've made your point. I'll get on them." Mumkhar climbed back into his Mechon, resynchronizing with it.

"And Mumkhar," the girl started, "do remember that the boys in the group are descendants of the one who killed you last time." The faced Mechon turned and left, his pace quickening as he remembered.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Battle to Toledo**

Emmet found himself in a valley, the sides metallic. To his left was a man with brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. He had claw-like gauntlets for weapons. On Emmet's right was a blond mustached guy wearing a red bandana, wielding a large rifle shaped like a cleaver.

"You ready to go Dunban?" The blond asked. Emmet was confused. His name wasn't Dunban. He looked down to see a red blade in his hand, blue etched along the side. A smile crept onto his face. The blade gave a faint blue glow as a beam of light extended from the sword.

"With the Monado in hand," he said, his voice deeper and wiser sounding than usual, "we can stop the Mechon assault right here. Mumkhar, Dickson, together, we fight!" The Monado glowed purple briefly, a wave spreading from from it. His allies were surrounded by a purple aura as they all charged.

Dickson shot at the Mechon as Emmet and Mumkhar swung at them with the Monado and claws respectively. The three of the took down Mechon left and right as more and more charged at them. As Dickson shot, Emmet realized the shots were exploding on the Mechon in a small burst of red, instead of simply piercing them. Before long, a pile of Mechon parts and scrap were under Emmet's feet. A pain shot into his body, forcing him to his knees. Then everything went black.

Emmet woke up to find a large metallic claw coming down on him. Frozen in place, he watched as his death approached, thinking his quest was over. As the three pronged claw closed in, he heard a grunt and light filled his eyes. He saw Ron with his bizarre weapon stabbing at the Mechon that tried to kill him.

"C'mon Emmet," Ron shouted. "We gotta help the others." He motioned at a sword laying in the grass. Emmet stumbled to his feet and picked up the sword. Looking around, he saw Ron rushing to a small swarm of Mechon. He charged at the swarm, slicing the backsides of the evil robots as Ron stabbed with his bizarre weapon.

Within minutes, the Mechon were reduced to scrap. Annabeth and Sheldon were laying unconscious. Ron went in, slinging the two over his free shoulder.

"We need to get out of here." Ron sounded distressed. Emmet nodded and the two ran to the horizon, closing the distance from a city. It was a long run, and well after nightfall, they made it through the Toledo borders, and stopped to rest under a highway.

"We're not getting anywhere fast," Emmet whined. He realized they didn't have any of their stuff, and groaned in distaste.

"These Mechon are really getting on my nerves," Ron complained. "What are the chances of getting plane tickets _now?_"

"None with these two knocked out. We just gotta wait for them to wake up." Emmet looked up into the sky, annoyed with his luck. In the few days they've been on their quest, it's been either sitting around or almost getting killed. And they were only a few states from where they started.

Footsteps echoed under the overpass, and Emmet turned to see their visitor. It was a scraggly looking man, with disheveled grey hair, and a sunken look in his eyes. His clothes were in tatters, holes in the shirt and jeans.

"Hey," Ron called out, "What brings you 'ere?"

"Oh just, wandering the reality of the world," the ragged man replied. "Most people don't realized that this is how the world once was and still is." He looked at Emmet. "But you know exactly what I mean about that." A chill went down the demigod's spine.

"Who exactly are you?" He asked, suspicion growing in his head.

"Not important. Point is, you have a couple of friends that are out cold, and you're trying to get somewhere important, right?" The boys nodded as the old man looked around. "Well, I can help you out. Besides, there're unnatural things at work. You four need to complete your mission." The greyed man fished into his jeans pocket before pulling out a pure black card. "Two miles west is a parking garage where a vehicle is sitting."

"Hold up." Ron interrupted. "How do you have a car, when you look so homeless?" The man laughed.

"I forgot," he replied, chuckling. "You're just a mortal. Either way, drive the vehicle as far as you need to go. I can't promise it'll take you to your destination, but it'll save you time. Good luck." He dropped the card, letting it bounce before disappearing into thin air.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Highway to Metal Face**

Sheldon woke up feeling rather comfortable. The last thing he remembered was their train car getting thrown sideways, then everything went black. He looked around, noticing he was leaning back in a really nice car.

"And the zombie awakens," Ron exclaimed from the drivers seat. He seemed completely in control, despite not having any formal driving lessons.

"Ron," Sheldon said, his voice sounding hazy, "What are you doing driving?"

"Actually, I'm not." To prove his point, he took his hands off the wheel.

"Are you crazy?!" Sheldon reached up and held onto the handle for his life. Ron started laughing.

"Relax Sheldon," Annabeth popped in from the backseat. There was a large bruise across her forehead. "From what Emmet said, it's a gift from Hermes."

"The scientist from Futurama?" Sheldon heard the sound of a palm smacking a face.

"No. Hermes, God of Travellers and Thieves." Annoyance was obvious in her voice. "Usually, when a quest is going sour, a god can put in some divine intervention. But not a lot. This is one such case." Sheldon thought about it for a moment before accepting it. He looked out his window to see a sign for Omaha.

"How long have we been driving?" Last he knew, they were in Ohio. Wasn't Omaha in Nebraska?

"About twelve hours," Ron sighed out. He looked ready to sleep. "Give or take. It was well past sunset by the time we found this slick Mustang." Sheldon looked around, agreeing. The seats were very comfortable, proven by the fact that Emmet was sound asleep in the back. On the console, the radio system looked high tech, lights and knobs in the middle with a GPS screen at the top.

"This is nice," he commented.

"Yeah, and we're already almost halfway to Mt. Saint Helens. And to think, we-"

"Don't finish that sentence," Annabeth ordered. "Anytime someone says something like that, everything goes bad immediately." Sheldon heard her gasp. "Faced Mechon, six o'clock."

"What?" Ron and Sheldon shouted as they looked back. Sure enough a faced Mechon was flying straight towards them. Sheldon didn't see a sword with it. Instead, there was a cannon-like weapon on its back.

"It's not like the one from Ohio," Ron stated. Sheldon peered closer at it. The face of this one looked particularly cruel. Fear washed over him as he realized who it was.

"Ron, step on it." His friend looked at him ludicrously. "It's Metal Face, from Shulk and Reyn's time." Ron slammed on the accelerator, driving the car faster and faster. Sheldon closed his eyes, trying to envision a plan.

"Uh guys." Annabeth sounded worried. "There's a ball growing on its back."

"That's a cannon!" An idea popped into Ron's head. "Annabeth, watch the cannon shot and tell us when to swerve." The blonde grunted in response. There was an uneasy silence as they sped down the highway at ninety-some miles per hour. "Now!" Ron pulled a hard left, spinning the car in circles as the deadly projectile grazed the left side.

The car bounced off the guardrail, spinning onto an off ramp. A wheel snagged the gravel, whip-lashing the car the other direction. Spinning clockwise now, the world blurred together before suddenly stopping. Sheldon's head wouldn't stop spinning as the airbags went off. He heard someone yawn in the back seat. Sheldon turned to see Sleeping Beauty awake.

"What'd I miss?" Emmet said, sleepily. He was stretching his arms as he sat up. It seemed the crazy wipeout hadn't affected him.

"You mean to tell me you slept through all that?" Annabeth shouted. Emmet looked confused. She murmured something in a language Sheldon couldn't understand. "How bad is it?"

"Totaled," Ron replied, dejectedly. "We're walking again." The quartet climbed out of the ruined Mustang, looking at it in pity. In a complete surprise, the car sputtered back to life before driving into the sky.

"So, any idea where we are?" Emmet asked. They looked around for some sort of sign before Ron shouted, "Look, Salt Lake City… No way did we do a thousand miles in that short of a time."

"Either way," Emmet voiced, "we still have a long way to go. Let's party."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Camp Mumkhar**

"Bah," Metal Face growled, "those brats are too smart for their own good. Oh well. Not my problem anymore. Let's go torture their camp." He morphed into his aerodynamic flight position and blasted off to the East Coast.

Before long, a valley opened up to him. Scattered about were tiny buildings, none of which looked the same. A sandy beach hugged the sea, with a luscious green forest along the edge of the valley. Metal Face snickered to himself before dropping into the camp, landing with enough force to create a small crater at his feet. Any camper unlucky enough to be close by were knocked off their feet.

"Hello kids," his cruel, metallic voice called. "Who wants to play?" The claws he had for fingers shone in the summer light. A crowd of campers charged at his, allowing Mumkhar to backhand and stab anyone in range.

"Pathetic. All of you. Not one of you is even making this fun." He laughed a cruel, hearty laugh.

"Don't count us out yet," he heard. Looking in front of him, he saw two campers, one blond, the other darker-haired, charge at him. As he swiped, the two launched into the air, The dark-haired one landed as the blond kid yelled. A surge of electricity overcharged Mumkhar's Mechon, causing it to shut down. Their swords clanged against the metal, Mumkhar knowing fully well that they could hardly scratch it.

"Now we're getting somewhere," he sneered as the hatch opened. Jumping out, the half-Mechon activated the beam claws at his wrists, reminiscing his old weapons of choice.

"Wait," the dark-haired kid panted. "You're human?"

"Not even close kid," Mumkhar retorted. "But don't worry. I'll still keep this fun." He lashed out at them, clawing at their open points. Keeping a vigilant eye, he noticed his Mechon devoid of sparks. After a swift trip, he ran back into his metallic likeness, grabbing the two boys with the mechanical hands, along with some of the ground below them.

"I know just what to do with you two," he mocked as he took off to the skies, carrying his prey to their new masters.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Loss for Two**

Annabeth walked slightly behind the boys of the group, thinking about the faced Mechon that attacked them. It only shot at them once and seemed to lose interest afterwards. She couldn't wrap her head around it. Were they being played for fools?

"Hey Annabeth," Ron called out. "Why ya slowin' down?" The blond realized she had slowed to a snail's pace, and jogged to catch up. "What were you thinking about anyways?"

"The Mechon that attacked us," she responded. "It simply ran away after it missed. What was with that?"

"Well, if it's the very same Metal Face from Shulk's time," Sheldon voiced, "then he'll try to find the best time to directly attack. Until then, he's only going to toy with us."

"Count yourselves lucky," a familiar voice cried. Annabeth turned to see a familiar choppy haired girl and centaur, both on the opposite side of an Iris message.

"Piper! Chiron!" Annabeth shouted, letting a smile cross her face. "What are you two doing, IMing at this time?" Piper went to open her mouth, but no sound came out. That when Annabeth noticed Piper's puffy eyes. _What happened at camp?_

"We were attacked once more," Chiron explained, his voice full of sorrow. "It was a faced Mechon this time, armed with claws."

"Metal Face." Sheldon's voice was boiling with anger. The old teacher nodded.

"Many campers were slain or incapacitated by its hand. But-"

"It took Jason and Percy!" Piper blurted. A lump formed in Annabeth's throat. She balled up her fists to contain her emotional outbreak.

"Fear not, Annabeth," Chiron calmly put. "We sent word to Camp Jupiter's praetors. They'll get a search team out to find the two, at any means necessary. For now, find the Monado. That is your quest. We'll contact you when we get more information." He waved his hand and the image disappeared.

Annabeth's breath was shaky, her arms trembling. She couldn't believe it. Percy had already been taken from her once by Hera, her royal annoyance. For a time, Annabeth had refused to sleep, dedicating all of her energy to finding him.

"Hey, Annabeth," Emmet cautiously said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We need to get moving. Finding the Monado will be of more help to saving Percy and Jason." A heavy silence settled as she nodded. The four set off again, no one wanting to speak.

They walked along the highway until the sun set off to their left. The orange, sunset sky glowed as Mt. Saint Helens loomed in the distance. Annabeth couldn't help but wonder what laid ahead of them inside the old forge of Hephaestus.

"We should get some rest," Ron suggested. The other boys nodded as they sat down. Rather than sitting, Annabeth curled up and fell asleep, hoping tomorrow would come quickly.

A scene came into view for the daughter of Athena. Three men were facing Metal Face, the lead blonde, Shulk, holding a nonupgraded Monado. Around them was a small town being attacked by Mechon. She watched as Shulk swung at the vile Mechon, the Monado's blade bouncing right off Metal Face's leg.

"The Monado," he shouted, "It's not working!"

"How could that be?" One of the men shrieked. "The Monado should cut through Mechon with ease." The three men were knocked aside by a backhanded attack from the Mechon. The evil machine slowly approached the kill, and was knocked over by an explosion.

Annabeth turned to see a blonde girl in what looked like an open cockpit tank. She gasped as she realized it was the girl from her previous dream, the girl in the silver faced Mechon. The girl charged in her tank-like vehicle at the rising Mechon, shoving the gun into its face and fired. Both machines recoiled away from the blast.

Metal Face stood, half of his face blackened, and approached the girl in the mobile gun. It raised its claws and stabbed, Annabeth hearing the shrill scream of the girl and Shulk. The Mechon tossed aside the vehicle, girl and all, letting smaller Mechon eat her corpse. Annabeth saw the bloody claws of Metal Face, and blacked out.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: The Monado**

That morning, the group trudged onward to the mountain, keeping vigilant for any Mechon. Ron and Emmet were armed, both with anti-Mechon weapons. Hours passed as they came upon the base of the mountain.

"So what are we looking for?" Ron asked, scanning the mountain face.

"Annabeth," Emmet began, turning to the blonde. "You said this place was a forge of Hephaestus, right?" She taciturnly nodded. "Then we're looking for the letter Eta." The four searched along the mountain face, scanning for the Greek letter.

"Here it is," Annabeth called. The boys rushed over to see the letter glow, crumbling away a section of the rock wall. A tunnel was revealed with a red glow in the far distance. "Let's go."

The tunnel led on for what seemed like forever. Emmet kept his hand along the left wall, feeling for any discrepancies in the rock. He was beginning to wonder if the walk would ever end. Eventually, the tunnel opened up, revealing a cave, littered with scorch spots and melted piles of metal.

"Spread out," Sheldon ordered. "I'm betting there's a secret passageway to the Monado." The four dispersed, searching for any help. Emmet scoured along the walls, hoping for something. A low ring hummed in his ear as he shimmed along the cave wall. He continued along, the humming getting louder and more distinct. It was at its loudest when he noticed a faint, blue symbol on the wall.

"I think I got something," he called out. His companions came to him as he reached for the symbol. Much like outside, the wall crumbled, revealing an oddly colored tunnel, this time being blue. The humming ceased, replaced by a feeling like he was drawn to the end of the passage.

"What are we waiting for?" Ron hyped up. "Let's get our prize." The four walked down the rocky corridor, the dim, blue glow lighting the way. At the end was a small room, and Emmet was hit with deja vu. He remembered his dream from when they were on the train out of New York, the Monado hovering over a pedestal. Emmet felt a hand go on his shoulder.

"Take it," Sheldon encouraged. The son of Nike nodded as he stepped toward the blade. He reached for the hilt, grasping around it as sparks jumped to his arm. His breath hitched as images flooded his vision.

Faces streamed in front of him, most he didn't recognize. Symbols flashed before him, all from the Monado. Then they went black and white. His body slowed as a scene opened before him. He saw the scarred Mechon drop into the cave, his sword already in full swing. The Mechon dropped it down on his friends, killing them instantly.

His vision cleared, revealing Annabeth and the others, standing back towards the tunnel. The Monado was in his hands, the light beam extended. He looked at the blade. Was he hallucinating?

"Emmet," Sheldon approached, "Are you alright?"

"I… I think so," Emmet replied. He went to put the Monado on his back, the beam blade disappearing as the main blade collapsed together. "I saw, so many things when I grabbed it."

"That's normal. The Monado gives its wielder foresight. See something you don't like? You have the power to change it." Emmet thought on what he said. _The power to change the future…_ He took hold of the Monado again, looking at it.

"Alrighty. Stay behind me." Emmet walked back through the tunnel, his three friends behind him. He was determined to keep them alive. Part of him had the feeling of deja vu, while the other felt completely alien to it.

They came back to the cave and Emmet looked up. True to his vision, the faced Mechon was dropping onto them, its bizarre sword drawn. The Monado activated in Emmet's hand as he raised it, ready to block the attack. Their blades collided, the knockback knocking the four over.

"Well that was unimpressive," a voice mused. Emmet looked to see three figures jump from the back of the Mechon. There was a small little boy in dark clothes with two swords on his back, a taller guy who appeared unarmed, and a darker skinned girl with a pistol at her side.

"Who the heck are you guys?" Ron asked, his shieldlance readied.

"Where's Percy?" Annabeth shouted. "What have you done with him?"

"This," the faced Mechon answered as its chest opened.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Mechanical Disturbance**

"Luke!" Annabeth cried as the Mechon revealed Luke Castellan to be the pilot. She couldn't believe her eyes. She'd watch him die in her arms, sacrificing himself for her and everyone else. "Luke, it's me, Annabeth!"

"He's not going to listen to you," the dark skinned girl sing songed. "His memories have been suppressed to the point of impossible to resurface." Annabeth's heart sank. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"That's it," Emmet growled through gritted teeth. He swung with the Monado, the light blade passing through the three and bouncing off the faced Mechons leg. "What the…?"

"Hey newsflash," the small kid taunted. "That can't hurt humans or face Mechon. You got it for nothing." He drew twin katanas, one bronze, the other steel. "Shall we?" The kid looked up at the others.

"Why bother?" the taller kid mocked. "they haven't even learned about the weapon." He began climbing onto Luke's Mechon. "We'll just leave them some friends to play with." Patting the metal chassis, Luke activated the booster jets on his Mechon's back, the other two kids jumping on the feet as they took off, smaller, faceless Mechon replacing them.

Annabeth grabbed a nearby sword, half melted at the tip, resembling more of a mace than a blade. It was heavy at the mangled head, making Annabeth feel discouraged. She prefered a balance in her weapons.

"Enchant!" Emmet shouted from her left. A purple aura swirled around her. A Mechon charged Annabeth, her swinging in response. Her weapon dug into the metal plating, ripping off a sheet and destroying the inner workings. She swung at Mechon left and right, taking out the life from them. With little effort, all the mechanical foes were vanquished.

"I don't understand," Sheldon blurted once the four grouped together. "The Monado is suppose to cut down Mechon just like that. Why didn't it work on the faced one?"

"It went right through those three… what friends?" Emmet added. "It passed through them like they weren't even there."

"Well, the Monado can't hurt humans to begin with, but it still should have cut into the faced Mechon." Annabeth thought for a moment, remembering the conversation they had on the train.

"That's why the Monado is able to upgrade," she muttered. The boys gave her strange looks. "If I'm right, the faced Mechon resist attacks from the Monado as it is now because they house humans. If we can find a way to make it stronger, we can actually hurt faced Mechon."

"You know, that makes sense." Ron agreed. "But, here's the thing. How do we make the Monado stronger? I mean it's not like we can take it to a blacksmith and have 'em sharpen it."

"The dream I had while we were on the train, there was this giant, purple being that evaporated into this glowing dust." Annabeth felt she was on the verge of a revelation. "It swirled around this kid who had the Monado-"

"Shulk," Sheldon correct.

"Right. It swirled around him, and the Monado changed shape. Then he chopped off a faced Mechon's arm."

"So purple giant plus glowing dust equals a better Monado?" Emmet clarified.

"It can't be that simple," Sheldon countered. "From what it sounds like, the giant died to upgrade the Monado." He turned to Annabeth. "Know of any purple giants?" She shook her head.

"No. But I think I can get someone to help. Ron, can I see your weapon?"

"What are you up to?" He started to remove his shieldlance.

"Well, I need something to offer to the god of metallurgy. Your weapon is a perfect offering." Ron quickly shook his head.

"Absolutely not. There is no way I'm giving this thing up." He restraped it to his arm. "Find something else to give him."

"Oh just let me take a look at it," a gruff voice boomed, Annabeth twirling to face the new party.

The first thing she noticed was the beard. The brown, wild mass of facial hair had sparks shooting it. Above it was lumpish and swollen face, red and full of welts. Below were muscular arms hidden in a jumpsuit. Annabeth recognized the smither instantly.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Back to the Camp**

Ron looked over the large, ugly man that appeared out of nowhere. His shoulders were crooked, the face all kinds of messed up. _Please tell me this isn't the man Annabeth wanted to give my weapon to._

"Lord Hephaestus," the blond bowed. "We need your help. There's a Mechon invasion-"

"Aye, I know about the Mechon," the grungy man interrupted. "My kids at camp have been praying to my out the wazoo to make a proper defense against them. I tell ya, these things are persistent, and you kids are at just the tip of the iceberg."

"What do you mean?" Emmet asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

"They're gonna get bigger and nastier. But, you kid, have the Monado. These Mechon won't be of any trouble."

"But the faced Mechon," Sheldon put in, "don't seem to be affected by it. That's the reason Annabeth called for you; we need the Monado to upgrade."

Hephaestus awkwardly approached Emmet. "Lemme see the blade there." He handed the deformed man the Monado. "Ah yes. This sword…" Shaking his head, Hephaestus gave back the weapon. "In time, you'll be stronger. For now, train. As for the Monado itself, the shackle must be released before it gets stronger. You must find that path yourself, lad."

The blacksmith god turned to the rest of the group. "Well, kids, I appreciate all this scrap metal to work with. I bet you're pretty tired of having to walk, run, drive, so on and so forth, so 'ere." He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a small disc. "Step on this, and you're back at camp," he explained as he tossed it to the ground.

"But Hephaestus," Annabeth cut in. "Are Percy and Jason alright?"

"I'll tell you this, they ain't dead. Beyond that, I'm not sure." Lightning rumbled from nowhere. "That's my cue. Good luck." And he vanished into thin air.

"Well," Ron started, displacing the silence, "we should probably get back. I don't know about you guys, but a good sleep in a good bed always helps." He stepped on the disc and felt weightless as his vision blurred.

As his vision cleared, Ron couldn't help but gasp at the sight before him. Broken down Mechon were littered across the valley, scrap metal flickering with electricity. The campers were moving about in a trance, either from fear or despair. Most of the buildings were damaged in some way.

"Woah," he muttered. "So much has changed. This is…" He looked back as Emmet and the others appeared.

"I need to go talk to some people," Annabeth sighed. "You guys go find Jake Mason. He's probably at the camp forge." She sulked over to the Big House, leaving the boys alone.

"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Emmet asked to no one in particular. Ron turned to him with an indignant shrug. "Oh come on. The whole camp is bummed out about losing Percy and Jason, the Mechon are constantly attacking, and frankly, everyone's tired. We gotta take care of this issue soon."

"You're right," Sheldon agreed. "But we're still stuck with the faced Mechon problem."

"I'm gonna see what I can find. You two, keep a watch for Mechon. Make sure no one has to fight them alone." Emmet weaved among the deactivated Mechon, making way to the Athena cabin. He was hoping for something, anything helpful.

As he walked in, the world went black and white as a scene opened up to him. A couple was riding a mechanical dragon as it descended to the Earth. As it lost altitude, the camp came into view, the ground looking black and metallic rather than grassy. He saw Ron and Sheldon attack the creature, catching it off guard and bucking it riders off.

The world returned to normal as he whipped his body around. His quest companions were idly walking among the broken Mechon. Despite the uncertainty building in him, Emmet walked into the cabin, closing the door behind him.

Finding nothing all that helpful, he left the cabin and made way for the Big House. He hoped Chiron would have some useful insight; or the voice would speak through Rachel again and tell him what to do. As he opened the door, a roar cut through the air, Emmet taking hold of the Monado and running to the source.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Leo's Return **

Sheldon was sitting on the beach of the camp, staring off into the horizon.

He thought about the three that came in the mountain with the faced Mechon. They seemed as if they were leading it. But how, and why? His train of thought was cut short by Ron.

"Oi! What's that off in the distance?" Just over the horizon was a dark shape, slowly getting larger. Sheldon slowly stood, trying to decipher the shadow. Watching it get closer, he began noticing details, the bronze plating and wings.

"Is that a… dragon Mechon?" Sheldon muttered in disbelief. He stared at it, trying to comprehend his own words. The creature came closer, and his thoughts were confirmed. The mechanical beast was flying in their direction, it now visible, ruby eyes stared blankly at them.

"That doesn't look like any Mechon I've ever seen," Ron stated. "Should we attack it anyways?"

"Yeah. Get me up on your shoulders" Ron nodded and knelt, allowing for Sheldon to get on his shoulders. "On my mark." The metallic dragon flew closer, and closer. "Now!" Ron stood straight up, launching Sheldon closer to enemy as it flew overhead. Sheldon managed to slice the metal beast's underside, making a small incision.

A roar came from the dragon's maw, the creature ascending as it turned away from its aggressors. Sheldon looked back to find two people, a boy about his age and a young woman, riding the automation. As the bronzed dragon landed, the boy jumped off, conjuring a large hammer from the tool belt around his waist.

"Hey! No one messes with Festus." He looked Latino with elfish features, like Legolas met a hispanic woman, and this kid was the child. The look on his face spelled murder as he marched closer to Sheldon and Ron.

"You named your Mechon Festus?" Ron asked in confusion. "That's odd."

"Mechon? What the heck is that?" Another large mallet came from the tool belt. "I wanna know why you attacked my dragon before I pound your faces in." Smoke began to curl off the kid's clothes.

"Leo!" A girl's voice cried out from behind said kid. Everyone on the beach looked over to see Annabeth and Emmet rushing towards them, the Monado activated in Emmet's hand.

"Hey Annabeth," Leo said cheerfully, which caught Sheldon off guard. The smoke dissipated from his clothes as he slipped the hammers into the tool belt, which confused Sheldon even more. "Miss me?" Annabeth shoved him to the ground.

"Leo, I swear, you're too smart for your own good," she grunted, anger obviously in her voice. "Next time you have a plan, you tell me, or I will personally throw you into Tartarus."

"Duly noted," he replied as he stood up. "Now, can someone explain why the camp is littered with machinery, and why two guys attacked Festus?" The girl who came with Leo coughed, jarring everyone's attention to her. "Oh yeah! Annabeth, everyone else, meet Calypso. Calypso, everyone." Calypso smiled and nodded her head.

"Ok. Time out," Ron called out, making a T with his hands. "Too many things are happening at once. Someone explain to me what's going on." Annabeth and Leo took turns explaining what happened starting a year and a half ago, describing a prophecy involving the Earth essentially resetting the world to get back at the Olympians and their kids. Leo mentioned his quest to save Hera, creating the Argo II, sailing to Greece, and coming back with Calypso.

"Now that that's said," Leo ended, "why is there machinery all around the camp?"

"That's actually quite the story," Sheldon answered. "You see-"

"Save it for later," Emmet interrupted, the Monado reactivating in his hands. "That Mechon's coming back."

"Mechon?" Leo asked.

"Which one?" Sheldon put in. "Metal Face?" Emmet nodded affirmatively.

"Is this all part of the story I'm supposed to get?" Leo seemed desperate for an answer. Emmet simply nodded again as a black chassis flew in, transforming into the cruel Faced Mechon.

"I see you bugs found the Monado," he taunted as the cannon on its back charged.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Mumkhar's Taunt**

Annabeth watched as Metal Face hovered in the air, charging his cannon and taunting them. She wanted to climb on to the Mechon and turn it to scrap metal, wires first. The monster had stolen Percy from her, and she wasn't one to forgive easily.

"So long, bugs!" Metal Face shouted as he shot his cannon, firing an energy ball at them. It looked as big as she was, and gave off a blue, mesmerising light. Annabeth watched it come at her in a daze.

A blur of bronze flashed in front of her, snapping her back to her senses. Festus was standing on his hind legs as the energy shot exploded on the dragon's underside, felling the wonderful creature.

"Festus, no!" Leo shouted from behind Annabeth.

"What a waste of machinery," Metal Face spewed. "It would have done much better serving us."

"Come down here and fight us like a man, you buncha bolts!" Ron shouted.

"Like a man, you say?" the Mechon replied. "Alright. I'll show you just how much a man I am." He dropped to the ground, cracking the earth under him. The chest of the Faced Mechon opened, revealing the mostly Mecha-man inside.

"What the-? There's a person inside that thing?" Leo said inquizedly.

"Yeah, that's right," the man answered, jumping out of his Face unit. "And it's because of people like me the Monado don't work on Faces. Any more silly questions?"

"Who are you?" Emmet interrogated. "Why are you doing this?"

"Ask those two who I am." He pointed to Sheldon and Ron. "They should know." A face of realization came over Sheldon.

"Mumkhar!" he shouted. "But you're supposed to be dead!"

"Well that girl is pretty good with a few tools. Managed to put that kid with the scar into a Face unit." He crossed his arms, giving a smug face to that of horror on Annabeth. "Strikes a nerve on you, doesn't it?

Annabeth felt her anger flow through her body. She ripped a hammer out of Leo's hand and stared down Mumkhar. "I'll kill you!" Swinging the hammer, she assaulted the man, who simply ducked and sidestepped her attacks. She left no room for her friends to help attack.

"You're half the fighter those two boys were, before I snatched them up like bugs," he taunted. Sidestepping an attack, he elbowed her gripping hand, causing her to drop the hammer. He grabbed the base of her head and held her in front of him as a human shield. "Weak and pathetic."

"You dirtbag!" Sheldon shrieked. "You're a coward!"

"I may be a coward, but I've managed to subdue those two powerful kids the other day. Besides, what have you done to help?" He took a hold of Annabeth's golden blond hair, releasing her head and making her cry out in pain. The red energy claw on his free hand activated, and he swiped, cutting through her hair like a hot knife through butter. And just to add insult to injury, he kicked her over, forcing Annabeth to her face.

"And that is how you show mercy, gentleman." Mumkhar through Annabeth's hair to the ground and turned to his Face unit. "Well, I've had my fun. So long, kids."

"Not so fast, you son of a-" Emmet swung at Mumkhar, knocking him over. "There's no way I'm letting you leave after that."

"Little protective, are we?" Mumkhar teased as he stood, his energy claws activating once more. "Alright. Lets see the lot of you come at me." He synced himself up with Face unit and charged.

Leo, Sheldon, and Ron fought the Faced Mechon as Emmet dueled Mumkhar. Annabeth leaned up against the bronze chassis that was Festus. Her head was in a torrent of pain. She was having difficulty seeing past the black dots and red everything else.

Something grabbed the back of her shirt as she saw the dark shape of Metal Face flying off, leaving the boys cursing. She couldn't see who had her, or where she was going. All she knew was the feeling of her bunk, and how she cried into her pillow.

When she finally fell asleep, she saw a new faced Mechon, this one blue with a tank of water on its back. Its chest was spherical, opening up like a circular cage. Inside the machine was Percy, his body and limbs metallic. And in her sleep, Annabeth laid, crying.

*Hey guys. Only a few chapters left to write before i close up this arc of the story. Until then, feel free to review.*


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